You probably seen this logo ( http://www.buyhandmade.org/ ) on Etsy or on some blogs that talks about handmade stuff. This year, for the holidays, you can take the "Buy Handmade Pledge". You will then take the pledge to buy, at least, one handmade item as a christmas gift this year.

Of course, you can shop on Etsy to find the perfect gift but, buying from a local artist is even better! Watch your newspapers, magazines or even TV ads to find out if there's an exhibition of craftspeople in your region. You can also clic on "Shop Local" on the front page of Etsy to find the many great artists in your city. In Montreal, there's the always classic "Salon des Métiers d'Art" ( http://www.metiers-d-art.qc.ca/smaq/ ) but I found out this year of an other cool exhibition: the Souk@Sat ( http://souk.sat.qc.ca/ ) That's my kind of shopping! :)